An F in Consumer
by noisee
Summary: Rufus Shinra is determined to make Yuffie Kisaragi's life at HIS school a living hell, but they are rudely forced to see that there are bigger things at stake than each other's pride. [AU]
1. Day Zero

**An F in Consumer**  
_Day Zero_

Yuffie Kisaragi is a good person. Really. As a fourteen-year-old, four-foot-eleven-inches stick figure, how could she be anything else?

Sure, she has a habit of making things disappear, being rude to the customers, and telling her dad to "fuck off" every time he starts on his 'family business' speeches, but that doesn't make her a bad person. She is generally a happy-go-lucky kinda gal. All smiles and sticky fingers.

_'Coz if you can smile through anything, you're a good person, right? I mean, Aerith's always smiling, and she's the nicest person I've ever known. Like, ever._

She can hear the bass of her father's voice rumbling in the next room over; his emphasis sometimes falls on the wrong syllables, a thing he does when he's under stress, like when he's trying to keep his anger in check. Of course, Yuffie has personally never experienced this, for father has no qualms about yelling at his daughter. She does, however, have ample oppourtunity to observe while he converses with business associates. His words get more and more off with each level his suppressed anger grows to.

"... Be_ne_ficial to _the_ comp_any_, yes... Full compli_ance_ to all demands..."

It is embarrassing, really, for him to have such a trait, but it isn't often that it slips out. Godo Kisaragi is quite adept at keeping his voice level during interactions with rivalling companies; this company is the ever-present exception to the rule. No matter what it's about, if he's talking to President ShinRa, then he would inevitably begin to slip. It is on the bad days that he slips in the other man's presence.

Today is a very bad day.

_So just keep smiling. Yea. And then you can go to school with Tifa and Cloud-_

The door slides open, revealing her very surly looking father and his business associate, smug grin in place. Next to him stands a young man- make that young, handsome man. Her jaw almost drops; the resemblance between his smirk and President Shinra's is uncanny. He's also got the softest-looking blond hair she's ever seen, even softer than Cloud's! Some of it falls over his eye, but came nowhere near obscuring his vision.

She meets his gaze.

Brown locks with the coldest blue she's ever known.

"I'm so glad we've been able to come to an agreement, Godo," the President drawls, "and even happier to see that you've viewed things from our perspective. Wutai's port will become a vital location as soon as we convert it. It will be put to good use, I assure you."

Yuffie can see that this young man's smile does not meet his eyes. She feels like it never will, and that startles her. Is this what her father faces, day in, day out? Is this who she'll be up against when she takes over the family business?

The two of them are leaving, now, just stepping into the newly arrived elevator. Godo's irritation is almost palpable from where Yuffie stands next to him, but she is distracted by the younger Shinra. His eyes have yet to let hers go.

"I do hope Miss Kisaragi here enjoys it at Midgar High, though she'll have some difficulty with competition like Rufus, here," President Shinra pats his son on the back, two cold, stiff movements. Rufus smirks at her, looking infuriatingly smug despite his obvious discomfort at his father's gesture. He's more annoying with that simple expression than her stupid cat Cait has ever been!

_Fuck smiling._

As the doors close, Yuffie scowls at the young man, and brazenly gives him the finger. It's comforting to know that he'll drop twenty floors alone with his frigid father and his indignation.

_x---_

Rufus Shinra is an only child, the sole heir to his father's multimillion dollar company. He was born in luxury, raised in luxury, and plans to die in luxury. His father has never hugged him and, at eighteen, he doesn't really care. Physically, he yearns for nothing; he is good-looking, good-feeling and good-sounding. He sleeps in a room in his own wing of a mansion. He is popular with men and women alike, and genuinely talented at almost everything he does.

Rufus Shinra has just been flipped off by a freshman, and he is not happy about it.

Rufus Shinra takes shit from noone.

The elevator slides on down, unyielding for any other patron of the building; it seems that today is a slow day, and there's nobody to interrupt the stony silence he and the President share. It is unbearable, but, raised as the heir to Shinra Electricity, he can bear it. He fidgets, however, dealing internally with the blatant disrespect that wisp of a girl had given him.

"Stop that," President Shinra snaps.

Rufus stops.

He spends the next ten floors deciding to get back at the girl in his court- he has no idea why she wants to transfer to his school in the middle of the year, but he'll make sure she regrets it.

_Nobody_ disrespects Rufus Shinra.

_x---_

A few blocks away, a girl sells the day's first flower.


	2. Day One

**Day One**

Yuffie hates school. Of course, she's always hated it, but Midgar High has single-handedly raised the bar for her already high temper.

It's not like she wasn't _trying_. She picked a sleeveless green turtleneck, tan shorts, a light, baggy armwarmer, and faded orange legwarmers over her lucky brown sneakers- an outfit designed to grab attention. She even tied a headband in her hair, a strip of hand-woven, Wutainese cloth, with intricate design and an upside-down heart on each end. This is more a charm than her sneakers; it is one of the only things she had of her mother's, brought from the old country when the Kisaragi clann decided to test the waters overseas.

So, it wasn't like she didn't _try_ to look appealing, despite her stickperson figure. Unfortunately, all the charms in the world would not have alleviated her stress. No amount of Wutainese crafts would have stopped the staring of a first-period English class. No amount of lucky shoes or antcipation or pepped-up confidence would save her from her own clumsiness.

Of course, the black boot shooting into her path didn't help matters any.

Yuffie, caught completely unaware, trips. She falls face-first onto the tile, darts to her feet just as quickly. The damage is done; English class sniggers. Livid, she turns to glare at her culprit and does a double-take.

His hair is _silver_.

He glares back at her, eyes of jade narrowed into slits, his attractive features holding a feline air. He's wearing all black- all _leather_- but his clothes seem worn, tired. Even so, his stance is regal; he is sitting, she is standing, and it still feels like she is being looked down upon.

"What's your problem!?" she snaps, pretty face a scowl. Her hands are balled up into fists, and her palms itch; she _really_ wants to hit him.

"I simply find your clumsiness irritating," he informs her, voice cold and eyes fiery.

"My _clumsiness_!?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Did-!" She can't believe it. He's really going to deny his hand in her fall? "You tripped me!"

"It's not my fault you are terribly unobservant," he retorts, eyes half-lidded and eyesbrows raised.

She throws a punch, which he catches easily. He yanks her down, nose-to-nose, and she can feel her cheeks warm at the sudden proximity.

"Listen, Kisaragi," he hisses, "you are not on Wutainese soul, and will not have the comfort of your father's riches for much longer. I suggest you learn what people here choose to see, lest you wander blindly through enemy territory."

Hate pools in her stomach, her heart, shooting all the way to her fingertips. He's noticed, obviously, how Wutai Energy has been quickly declining in quality and assets. He's telling her that she doesn't velong here, that nobody's going to help her because they are all her enemy.

She only has one enemy that can take the form of hundreds.

"Shinra _dog_!" She growls, tearing her hand from his grip. The silver-haired boy merely eyes her, his expression wary.

Suddenly, a voice as soft as it is hard cuts through the tension.

"Kadaj."

They whip their heads around to find the source of the deep, velvety voice, and Yuffie spots the most beautiful man she's ever seen. His skin is pale underneath his short, raven locks. Vivid are his cobalt irises, somewhat more cold than the silver-haired boy's- _Kadaj's?_- now detached emerald. He's wearing a black turtleneck and matching slacks and Yuffie ponders absently if heat does not affect the people of this school. The man looks almost bored; she can see a slight slant in his eyes, and wonders if he is Wutainese.

"Have you already shown hostility to Miss Kisaragi?"

"Merely introducing myself, sir."

"Peacefully?"

"Of course.

"Then why is her cheek bruised?"

Kadaj doesn't reply. A girl in the front with short, feathered brown hair speaks up in a reedy, matter-of-fact voice. Somehow, Yuffie gets the distinct impression that she sounds older than she looks.

"Mr. Valentine, she stumbled on her way up and took it out on Kadaj. It is understandable that she would not want to appear foolish on her first day."

"WHAT?" Yuffie stamps her foot with impatience. "I did NOT fall on my own! Kadaj-"

"Miss Kisaragi," Mr. Valentine cuts in, a sword through butter, "kindly take your seat. We're running late as it is."

"But-!"

He's already doing rollcall. She flops into her seat- near the front, next to an empty chair- and feels immensely powerless.

Weak.

_Just smile, right? Like Aerith..._

She tries it out, but the expression twisting her face feels almost foreign. She realizes that the blond girl in front of her is giving her a strange look.

"What?" Yuffie snaps, her lips curling into a frown.

"Weirdo," the girl sneers, turning to face front.

_x---_

It is disgusting to see women clinging to his father's arm, vying for his affection. Even more putrid is watching as Crescent comes on to Hojo under the pretense of asking for help. She teaches first-year science; he teaches seniors. It seems like an innocent enough setup, but Shinra eyes don't miss brushes of the hand, touches on the arm.

Rufus sits with an ankle on his knee in the back of the class, chin up and head held high. His icy gaze is relentless in its scrutiny, picking up the little things that would normally be passed over by untrained eyes. The two teachers, the girl actually trying to study, the black and silver speaking in low voices.

A piece of intricately folded paper flits onto the desk. He glances to his left, at Tseng, who taps a note on his own desk.

_Reeve says it's from Kyahaha._

Rufus rolls his eyes. He saw Scarlet writing it, too. He had been hoping that it was intended for Tseng or Nero or, hell, even Reeve.

He catches Scarlet's eye, and she smiles with a silent giggle (near Tseng, Reeve mimicks, 'kyahaha' in a ridiculously falsetto voice). Never looking away, Rufus takes the note and unfolds it, despite the somewhat dull urge to feed it to the cat Sith that Reeve once brought to work; Scarlet is also an employee at Shinra, and may have quite fickle loyalty, should her feminine ego be bruised.

_Lunch outside today?_

Rufus almost laughs outright. Lunch is _always_ outside. Does she think that he'll go looking or waiting for her just because she's written that?

He gives her a slight nod, eyes sparkling with mirth that casts a shadow of suspicion across her face. Regardless, she is satisfied, and turns to the front.

Tseng snickers, looking away from Rufus' red-headed admirer. Silver-haired Yazoo watches, a frown on his face. In the front, beautiful Lucretia leaves with a slight bowing of the head and crimson in her cheeks. Science class will start, another wasted hour. Rufus wonders how the Wutai brat is fairing, having 'helped' her with her timetable.

_x---_

Yuffie stares at a sheet of paper, aghast.

_It can't be real._

The numbers and the letters are like an alphanumeric death sentence. She reads them again and again, each repetition raising her panicked disbelief.

_This... isn't real!_

English, Phys Ed, Science, Math. Valentine, Wallace, Valentine, Valentine. Not so bad, except for the damning gossip Elena, the blonde from homeroom, had chose to bestow upon her.

_"Look, Kisaragi, here's some advice,"_ she had said, after Yuffie was pulled out of soccer for constantly sending the ball at Kadaj's head. _"You need to learn how to suck it up."_

Yuffie was about to explode at that point, but Elena seemed to have experience with short tempers; she continued quickly, strong.

_"First off, Kadaj is- well... 'Problem child' is an understatement. His classes are _always_ taught by Valentine, who is the only one who can get that guy to chill out._

"Next, Shelke Rui- that girl who told you off? She is also in Valentine's classes- she's a huge_ fan. She'll take any opportunity to one-up anyone who might steal her thunder. He's all she thinks about."_

Final straw, headshot, kiss of death. Valentine is all over her timetable. The means Shelke and Kadaj are, too.

_"I don't know why I'm telling you this, because I could get fired just _talking_ to you... I hate Kadaj and those Tsviests so _much_, though..."_

Yuffie remembers with startling clarity the unsure, appraising look Elena gave her.

_I should just let you guys fuck each other up. You should grateful."_

Yuffie had almost attacked then, but class was over and all were dismissed for lunch. She had hurried to her locker, thrown in her gym clothes, and dug out the godforesaken paper that condemned the remainder of her freshman year.

She groans, sinking to her knees, slumping forward into her locker.

"Yuffie!"

Melodius and ever welcome, the voice belongs to a sight for sore eyes.

"Tifa!" Yuffie grins, leaping to her feet and bounding over to fling her arms around the older girl.

"I haven't seen you for the longest time!" Tifa smile warmly, brows furrowed with worry. "What were you doing? Are you alright?"

The younger girl groans dramatically, slamming her locker door shut and following Tifa to the cafeteria. "I just found out that all of my classes are with this guy, _Kadaj_," she complains, considering the silver-headed boy to be the greater of two evils.

"Kadaj..." Tifa wrinkles her nose. "Him and those Tsviets..."

The name rings a bell. "Tsviets?"

"Like a gang," Tifa ecplains, waving her hand lightly. Her eyes are far off. "Kadaj and his brothers- Loz and Yazoo- are a big part of it. Their eldest brother, Sephiroth, is pretty much the leader. A lot of them work for Shinra, too."

Yuffie mulls the new information over, and they enter the lunchroom. She spots pink, black, and blond; all gang thoughts are forgotten as her heart starts a strange sort of pitter-patter.

"Cloud!"

He looks up and smiles at her; beside him, Aerith smiles, too, and a black-haired boy eyes her. She pays no mind; Cloud's wearing a pair of black denim shorts and an intensely flattering white muscle shirt and she's quietly thanking God and Buddha and Leviathan for the heat affecting _him_.

"Hey, stick-girl, good to see ya."

She blushes, but retaliates. "Right back atach, Chocobo-head!"

"Pukebucket."

"Shortstop!"

"Shorter-stop."

"Hey! I am not!" She gives him a hit on the arm. He laughs, she laughs.

Aerith stands and gives Yuffie a hug; her chocolate locks- curled or braided or who cares, they're _beautiful_- carry a pleasant, floral scent.

"It's good to have you here, Yuffie."

"Thanks."

"I don't believe you've met Zack before."

She gestures to the black-haired boy next to her. His spikes are less unruly than Cloud's, and he's wearing something similar, except his shirt is black and gives gim a sleek, streamlined look. Aerith at his elbow is wearing a soft pink dress and a short, terra-cotta jacket. Her clothes are older, worn like Kadaj's- side by side, however, the two look like movie stars.

Black-haired boy extends his hand toward her. "Zack Fair."

She shakes it with the grip of a business heiress. "Yuffie Kisaragi."

Tifa claps a hand on her shoulder and presents to her an apple. "C'mon, Yuffie, you're gonna need some strength if you have to face Kadaj all afternoon."

"Isn't that friendly?"

It's an unfamiliar voice that she's heard somewhere before. They turn and come face-to-face with a trio of silver heads. Kadaj stands next to someone who looks remarkably similar to himself, with longer hair and a more easy-going air. In front of them stands a burlier man who is obviously related. His hair is short, like Zack's, but more slicked back. All three are wearing leather and heavy boots.

"What's it you you, _Loz_?" Tifa's voice is hard, icy. She spits his name as though it is a poison.

The burly brother shrugs slowly, an evil sort of smile on his lips. "Just thought that maybe you'd like to expand your... _friendliness_." He leans forward and pinches her bottom.

The world is silent.

Tifa Lockhart wears a black, leather miniskirt and a white tank top. She also has a black belt in various martial arts.

Loz has the red imprint of a hand on his cheek, and everyone in the cafeteria hears the crack. Yuffie is vocally indignant in Tifa's place.

"Asshole!" She snaps, glaring up at the bigger-than-your-average-junior junior. "Go fuck yourself!"

"Don't talk to him like that," Kadaj hisses, eyes narrowed into slits.

"I'll talk to him however I want!"

"Then he can touch _her_ however he wants!"

"You-!" She stutters, annoyed at the turnabout. "That's totally- _different_!"

"Shame I can't nitpick at the small things like an old crone," he sneers. "Maybe _then_ I'd understand why your mother would sacrifice so much for such a fool."

At first, she wonders how he could possibly know- but a better question would be, how could he not? Wutai Energy had been the target of more than enough media coverage and scrutiny, from the immigration to the unorthodox methods to the tragedies. Headling after headling. _LADY KISARAGI DEAD. LADY KISARAGI FIGHTS FOR CHILD. LADY KISARAGI INTERRED IN WUTAI._

Story of her fucking life. And this insensitive boy had chosen to cross that line. Yuffie can just envison tomorrow's headline: _KISARAGI HEIRESS KILLS TSVIET MEMBER._

_x---_

"Rufus."

"Mm."

"You're not eating."

"I know that."

Rufus doesn't move. Despite his best attempts not to, he's thinking about _her_. The insolent little brat of Wutai. He can't help but wonder why she would want to transfer so late in the school year. She can't help but wonder if she's suffering.

He hopes she is. He hopes she is regretting her major social faux pas. In fact, hope means nothing to a Shinra, because what they want to happen happens. He _knows_ she's suffering. She can't possibly be enjoying herself with the peers she's been stuck with. Still, he's feeling unsettled.

She's fifteen years old and from a different country- she _can't_ have some sort of menacing reason for the late transfer.

She's the heiress of Wutai Energy, his business-appointed rival. She _can_ and _does_ have an ulterior motive.

_But what?_

"I've been thinking about Kisaragi."

Rufus looks up; Tseng is leaning against the edge of the roof, a can of Coke hanging from his long fingers. He's wearing black jeans and a black shirt with white characters emblazoned on the back.

"You could use her."

The thought had crossed his mind. Rufus isn't sure if she'd be a reliable source.

"Of course, her information may not be reliable..."

Rufus smirks. He's used to this. Tseng isn't his right-hand man for brawns- though it does help when the young Shinra doesn't want to _get his hands dirty_.

"She's a little girl. It wouldn't be difficult to detain her while we verified her info."

Tseng nods, taking a sip of his soda. "She's frail."

"Weak."

"Delicate."

"Enervated."

"We're not getting ahead of ourselves, are we?"

Rufus laughs. "Of course not. Simple word association, that's all."

Tseng joins in the chuckles, but the two fall silent as the door to the roof swings open. It is Valentine, a frown marring his ever frigid features.

"Rufus. Tseng. You two know the roof is off limits."

It's not a question. It's never a question.

"I'm well aware of that, Valentine."

"Your status does not exempt you from the rules."

Rufus smiles, cold and ersatz. "Neither does yours."

He never breaks the gaze, watching to see if today the man will slip and allow something to flit through his eyes. Tseng is the only one who looks when a girl jogs up the steps.

"Mr. Valentine, there- there's a fight in the cafeteria!" She states, breathless. "Kadaj and the new girl!"

Rufus looks at her at the same time the teacher does. He follows as well. He recognizes her as the younger Rui sister- Shelke or Shalua, he can't remember which one.

"Out of nowhere," she explains, "the girl started yelling at him and his brothers!"

Valentine merely nods, his steps swift.

By the time they arrive, the cafeteria is a writhing mass of yelled profanities and cheering. A circle has been formed; somewhere on the far side, he can hear Reno's voice, calling for bets. Tseng chuckles. He and Rufus stand and watch as the presence of Valentine disperses the crowd.

In the center is a ring that stands virtually undisturbed; at one end, Strife, Fair, Lockhart and Gainsborough are all on their feet. At the other, Yazoo and Loz are reclining on chairs. The display of concern is almost commical in its diversity: Yazoo, Loz and Fair seem downright _bored_, especially compared to Gainsborough, Strife and Lockhart, the latter two looking as though they are waiting for an opening to step into.

Right in the middle, Kadaj and Yuffie are going at it with an almost startling ferocity. She is all fists and feet and nails; he counters easily, effortlessly, but she has a speed that's keeping him occupied.

He snarls and throws her down. She sneers, clawing at his face as she kicks him back. They are a tangled mess of arms and legs and curse words. Valentine steps forward and seperates the two as though he is pulling a puzzle piece from another. As soon as they're aware of the situation, he allows his arms to drop to their sides.

"Midgar High has a zero-tolerance policy on violence."

Yuffie is breathing hard. She's eyeing Kadaj like he just murdered her father and spat in her face. Kadaj's expression is no less wrathful. Rufus is surprised; he doesn't think he's ever seen Valentine feel the need to repeat himself.

"Midgar-"

"I _know_!" Yuffie snaps. "God!"

Rufus bites back his laughter; the look on Rui's face is absolutely priceless.

Valentine sighs. "Kadaj?"

Kadaj doesn't break the death grip of a stare with Yuffie. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he nods.

"You two are dismissed from the school grounds until further notice."

"WHAT?"

"But, Mr. Valentine-!"

He raises a silencing hand. "Zero tolerance, Strife, Lockhart."

Tseng murmurs to Rufus, "time to go, boss?"

Rufus nods. They quietly make their way to the cafeteria's far exit. On the way out, he catches Yuffie's eye and snickers. He can hear her growl of frustration as he ascends the steps to his next class.

_x---_

Tears burn at her eyes and she doesn't care. There are bruises on her face and she doesn't care. It really, really hurts to move her pinky finger and she doesn't care. THe only thing that matters is gouging out all those infuriatingly cold eyes that seem to surround her. Kadaj, Valentine, and King Sub Zero Rufus.

She storms through the halls, her teacher-appointed escort trailing serenely behinf her. As if things aren't bad enough, she has to have Shelke Rui ghosting her every move.

"You're heading the wrong way."

Yuffie turns on her heel and, hands on her hips, glares at the girl. "So I am, huh? Listen, I know _exactly_ what I'm doing, and I don't need any, like, bullshit lectures, okay?" _I'll get enough of them from dear ol' dad._

"No, I meant, the door you're leaving through is that way." Shelke points at a hall to her left, and Yuffie's cheeks warm with embarassment. She could have sworn she was going the right way, but this school is devoid of friendly landmarks and- God _forbid_!- a decipherable map.

"Oh," she mutters lamely. Yuffie heads off in the pointed direction and pushes her way out the exit door. Her anger-induced high has some soft spots at the edges. The sun is bright, and she uses her hand as a visor to shield her eyes.

It's the only thing she's able to shield. A scuffle, a burst of pain; Yuffie Kisaragi's world goes black, and she's down with the ship.

_x---_

Rufus has decided that a nap on the roof will be more fruitful than a nap in English, so that's where he is, standing on the top of the school, king of the quiet, nine-to-five world. The wind ruffles his silky, blond hair, but Rufus Shinra was raised to be unflappable, so he looks no more bothered than usual.

He walks the perimeter of the roof, feeling strangely at peace with the gentle air, the tops of the swaying trees. THere is a sort of calming serenity that being up here brings him, always has been. It worries him, now, that he's feeling agitated. Like he is not alone, not safe.

Like he is _being watched_.

At that moment, perfect timing turns him around a corner, and he has a clear, bird's-eye view of an abduction. He sees black hoodies and a flash of red. He sees dark brown hair and the heart-shaped ends of a headband made by Wutainese hands.

_What... is this?_

Yuffie isn't moving. She's being carried away. Mentally, Rufus goes through all the possibles things that can be happening, all the actions he can take, and the subsequent consequences for-

_Someone's here,_ he realizes too late. An arm hooks around his neck and yanks him backward. A rough, growl of a voice hisses in his ear.

"Hey, boss."

Then wet rag against his face. Burning nose.

Darkness.

_x---_

No, no, she had told them, I'll be fine on my own. The two had grudgingly complied and went along with the fourth's plan. She hoped that those deep brown eyes would not hold anger for any longer.

She opens up shop.


	3. Day Two

**Day Two**

Her back is sore, her front is sore, and God Almighty, why the hell does her head feel a billion times worse than those aches combined?

Yuffie groans, trying to pull her mind from the sluggish haze of confusion that accompanies awakening. She is lying face down, _that_ she can figure out. Instead of being buried in blankets and pillows, she's cold and on a rough, hard surface, and her leg feels heavy. 

Her head throbs with a foreign sort of agony. She thinks she can hear her heartbeat in her ears. She rubs the back of her neck and buries her face in her free arm, letting out a soft groan, _I don't want to go to school today, mama, I don't want to wake up today, mama_.

"Well, good _morning_, Princess."

She freezes. It's a pleasant, personable voice she can only associate with an infuriating snicker, a voice she's heard time and time again through speakers, television, almost everywhere in this stupid, _stupid_ city. Slowly, she lifts her head, peering up through her chocolate-coloured bangs to meet those frostbite-inducing eyes she hates so much.

"Shinra!" Yuffie gets on all fours and leaps forward, ready to disembowel him, but he doesn't flinch; she hears the scraping of metal, a yielding force on her ankle, and falls unceremoniously onto the concrete floor.

She hears him laughing, as though her failed embarassment of an attack is some sort of private joke. The sound, the chain on her ankle, and his mere presence click something together in her mind.

Something terrifying.

She pushes herself into a crouch and takes a quick note of her surroundings. They are in an empty, concrete room with a wall of bars on one side. Her leg is attached to the wall via a single shackle and some length of chain. In front of her is a big player from the company that's been out for her blood since day one.

"Hey!" She yells at him. "I want out of here _right now_!" Yuffie scowls, trying to look intimidating.

"Can't help you," he informs her, brows raised in an expression that usually comes with a shrug. He doesn't shrug, though. His shoulders are straight and proper, like some perpetual soldier.

"Whaddya mean, 'can't help me'? I want you to let. Me. GO." _Stupid stupid _stupid_ Shinra, you had better let me go, or so help me God...!_

"If you haven't noticed-" he raises his right foot and shakes it slightly; she sees the metal ring and hears the _clink clink clink_. "-I'm about as stuck as you are."

Yuffie knows that this could be some sort of strange trap, but she believes him. He's looking impeccable as always, in a white button-up that's only a _little_ wrinkled, and dark slacks, but the metal ring around his ankle is like a neon sign flashing "TRAPPED" over and over and over again.

"Well, then, what's going on? Where are we?" She frowns, trying to recall what she could from before blacking out. Red? Silver? Bright lights. She doesn't know. Her head is aching. "What _happened_?"

"I'm sure you will figure it out... Eventually." He adds the last word with his head tilted slightly to one side, a smug smile curving his lips.

"You shut up!" She snaps, yanking off her shoe and whipping it at his head. He moves only slightly to avoid it, raising an elegant brow.

"That certainly was a display of intelligence," he drawls, his words dripping with sarcasm. Yuffie gives a shriek of frustrated indignation and turns away from him with a huff. She's going to think up a plan to get out of here and leave him behind.

_That might be mean to the rats_, she thinks, but her snigger is short-lived; the prospect of rats drains the blood from her face. The only thing that comforts her is the prospect of vomitting on Prince Shinra.

_x---_

Rufus leans back against the cold brick, his thoughts turning away from the bristling brat a few feet away. He's already shelved the topic of 'who and why,' and presses on to the how- the escape.

The rusted chain is heavy and thick; he figures that the way out is with a key. The only key will be in the possession of their captor, and their captor will be... _Somewhere_. It depends on what their captor's aim is; does he- and Rufus thinks of 'he' because what female does he have to see as powerful? Scarlet? Yuffie? _Hardly_- does he want them dead? Then he wouldn't show up. Is he using them as hostages? Then sure he- or someone with access- would make an appearance to deliver food. Maybe they were going to be tortured for information, which would still be good because it entailed a face-to-face confrontation. Besides, the elder Shinra had been sure to teach his son how to handle torture. _Again and again._ Until he had it right.

Rufus frowns. He has no idea why they're here. It could be anything from ransom to terrorism. He would guess a rival company is the culprit, but Shinra's most powerful rival is Wutai Enerdy- the heiress of which sits in front of him, chained. Is there some unknown third party involved? Or is this some sort of sick mind game?

Looking at Yuffie, he cannot believe the latter. She's huddling, muttering, and she looks so small. This wisp of a girl can not possibly be attempting to tamper with his mind- unless she is simply a pawn thrown here by her father to antagonize Rufus.

_Right_, he muses, _it's more likely to be the other way around._ And it's true because, everything aside, he is expendable to his father, and President Shinra did not get where he is by keeping on useless employees.

Had Rufus been any other man, he would feel sickened by the thought- but he isn't any other man, he is Rufus Shinra, and he feels little more than spiteful. If it is the case, if his father is using him as a disposable tool with which to cripple the opposing empire, Rufus isn't going to allow it.

Of course, it's still only an option. For all he knows, they could have been arrested for crimes against nature, or some trivial thing.

Rufus presses his thumb against his chin and leans his elbow on his fist, thinking back to the events leading up to their capture. The day hefore had gone relatively smoothly- in fact, Yuffie's cafeteria brawl was the only event out of the norm. He lists the people he interacted with, picking out the possibly negative effects of his choices. Valentine? No, Valentine was _always_ on his case, it wouldn't make sense- and, besides, he was on the payroll. Scarlet? The mere notion is laughable, at best. Scarlet would have about as much ability-

Suddenly, he remembers a flash of red. Not Scarlet, but scarlet-

"You know, your name is, like, a _really_ bad nickname-name."

Rufus blinks, looks up. Yuffie is sitting against her wall, staring at the ceiling. A second too late, he grasps at the fleeting images of his blurry recollection.

_Fuck. I lost the thought._

He frowns, folding his arms over his chest. It isn't everyday that he's interrupted, and he's feeling a tad sour at the fact.

"Is _that_ what you've been thinking about?" He scoffs, looking down at her, arms folded over his chest. He presses just the right amount of condescending incredulence into each word.

She absent-mindedly rattles off her attempts at donning him a pet name. "Ruffie... Ruff-Ruff... Fu-Fu- hey, that one's pretty good, actually," she says, grinning.

He sighs. That he is stuck here with her for God knows _how_ long is a terrible prospect.

"Fu-Fu Shinra... Him, kinda _rolls_ off your tongue..."

"I'm glad you're finding so much entertainment from _my_ name, _Yuffie_," he deadpans.

She turns her head to glare at him; the blush on her cheeks brings him a strange sort of satisfaction.

"For your _information_, 'yu-fi' happens to be an old Wutainese word for a type of flower." She crosses her arms in a similar stance, tilting her chin up just a bit, so that she _almost_ looks down on him. "What's _Rufus_ mean, 'cockroach'?"

He gives her a cold smile. "For _your_ information, 'Rufus' happens to be derived from the Latin word for 'barren soil'."

She stares, surprised. It's obvious to see that she's spotted the connection. "R... Really?"

"Damned if I know," he says, leaning back into the wall, smirk on his lips. He watches the emotions flit across her face, eventually settling on frustration.

"You're really annoying, Fu-Fu! When Cloud and Tifa come, we are _so_ leaving you behind!"

He laughs, short and mirthless. Strife and Lockhart have trouble looking out for each other, let alone some flight freshman. "You really think _they're_ going to save _you_?"

"_Of course_!" She snaps, jerking her head away. He waits, but she says nothing more.

_x---_

Yuffie bites her lip, blinking in a furious attempt to keep the tears at bay. He just _had_ to touch on that, didn't he? He just _had_ to prod at the doubts she shied away from. Those dark little things inside her that found any opening they could to leap up and strike at her heart. The psychotic, blood-sucking, baby-killing monkey on her back.

Yuffie Kisaragi, despite being the target for kidnapping attempts- among many, _many_ other things- has only a few fears: creepy crawlies, her mother's ghost, and being left behind.

Now, don't get her wrong; as an adventurous child, she had had more than her fair share of bug encounters, and she would give anything to see her mother again, but there were things she couldn't handle. Sleeping where icky, leggy spiders could pop out of anywhere and make a home in her ear? Grossness. Seeing her mother's disappointment in the rebellious-_although beautiful_- brawler of a daughter she had to leave? Triple grossness with fifty side orders of _'oh, Gods, kill me now'_.

_You'd think that an only child would be used to being alone_, she says to herself, glum. She never really was content with the whole thing. She would drag unsuspecting village children along with her escapades, promising them excitement and adventure and glory, and it would always result in a crying little boy or girl never wanting to see her again. She was used to that- to strangers giving her the cold shoulder, strangers running away. Strangers didn't matter. She wasn't used to people who stayed, strangers with names and friendly smiles, and, meeting such a person, she clung. It was something likeable, something to get used to- and she got used to it, which gave birth to fear number three: being left behind.

Yuffie doesn't want to think about Tifa and Cloud abandoning her, but she knows it's a possibility- she's sure that they don't need her as much as she needs them. They've got each other, and Aerith and Zack. Two boys, two girls- where's her place in that, in the grand scheme of it all?

"Are you _crying_?"

She doesn't know what's worse- the fact that she is or the suppressed laughter in his voice. She turns her back on him and hugs her knees.

"No! I'm _not_." She wipes at her face; her cheeks are burning. "I just... _hate_ being here with _you_." It's not a complete lie, and that's more than enough for her.

"I'm flattered," is his dry response, and she thinks every little itty bitty thing about him is positively dry. His emotions, his mind, even his very veins. Gritty, harsh and blank. Rufus made of sand. It feels so _fitting_ to think of him like that, instead of the handsome asshole bastard who's probably the very reason they're in this mess.

Her stomach hurts. Her entire body is sore, and there is a dull throb of pain in her head. She keeps thinking about black and silver, but her thoughts are too jumbled, too incomplete.

"Fu-Fu..." she mumbles, "what's the last thing you remember?"

She doesn't expect an answer, but she gets one. It's the only answer she doesn't think of, and it's the one she would never want to hear.

"_You_, Kisaragi."

_x---_

She doesn't scream at him. She doesn't turn around to glare at him. No, she simply sits, stockstill. He's not even sure he can hear her breathing.

Then, suddenly, she turns around and whips her shoe at him. It hits him in the chest, but she continues. She shoves her hands in her pockets and flings random, small objects at him- coins, marbles, crumpled playing cards, and for some reason, a strange, mutated-chicken keychain. He holds his hand up over his eyebrows, palm out, protecting his head from the worst of the attack.

"You _saw_ me," she shrieks, "and you didn't do a _thing_!?"

He moves his shoulders up a fraction. "I didn't really have the time to think about it."

"You had to _think_ about it- about _calling for help_!?"

"Mm-hmm."

She growls at him and points a shaky finger his way. "As soon as this thing's off my leg, Rufus Shinra, I am going to fuck you up _so bad_...!"

Despite everything, despite her small stature and the pitiful sniffling and the tears on her cheeks, her voice and her eyes tell him that this is a promise she'll die to fulfill. He should be intimidated, but he's not. Of course not. So he brushes her set-in-stone threat off as easily as he would dust on his clothing.

"Right."

And she's frustrated. He can see it in the set of her jaw, in her clenched fists, in her eyes. She's such an expressive girl, much too easy to read, really, it shouldn't be quite this entertaining.

"No _wonder_ your dad doesn't like you! You're a _terrible_ person!"

Rufus knows that it hurts so much more when the weapon that wounds you is your own, so he turns her scathing remark back- which is also much too easy to enjoy doing, but something inside him does.

"I am no less terrible than someone who merely stood by while her mother was murdered."

Her lip quivers. She shouts at him through her tears, her voice high with hysterics. "What could I have _done_?" She sounds heartbreakingly helpless, as though she is back in that little room that was plastered all over the newspapers and televisions. "I was three _fucking_ years old! Three years old, mama _told_ me to stay put, and I couldn't move anyway and I saw as they- as he-!"

Rufus does nothing but watch as her shoulders wrack with sobs, and the cynical part of him wonders if this strange, annoying girl in front of him is not the result of the obvious trauma she suffered. Another part is almost envious of her mother's devotion, having never experienced such a thing himself.

It is the part of him he inherited from his father that, when he is tired of her crying, makes him say what he does.

"Stop blubbering. You're supposed to be an heiress, aren't you? You look like a fool."

Yuffie cries harder. Rufus thinks that there's a long, long night ahead- and then he realizes that he has no idea what the time or day is. He begins to feel uncomfortable.

_x---_

The televisions are screaming with accusations (SHINRA ACCUSED OF KIDNAPPING WUTAI HEIRESS! WUTAI DEEMED INCOMPETENT BY SHINRA! JUNIOR SHINRA OVERSEAS FOR BUSINESS!) and the two are not at school. Reno and Rude were pulled out of class today, Tifa had said. Zack had told them that Tseng didn't even show up. Out of breath, Cloud informed them that he couldn't find Yuffie anywhere.

Aerith is worried. She wishes the others luck as they head down the street, bent on a meeting with Godo Kisaragi. She wishes she could accompany them, but there isn't any other help at the shop.

Smiling, she sells a pair of roses to a man with dark hair and blue eyes.


End file.
